MULTIPLE PACKS

As pharmacists we must always comply explicitly with your doctors prescribed directions this includes the quantity of the prescription goods to be supplied. Therefore the only time we can supply an increased quantity of a prescribed medicine is if the doctor prescribes that quantity for you.

AUTHORITY PRESCRIPTION

Some PBS medications are restricted and require prior approval from Medicare before a doctor is able to prescribe them on the PBS. This prior approval to prescribe grants the doctor the Authority to prescribe the desired medicine and have it funded under the PBS.
Authority to prescribe an Authority medicine is granted for specific indications and/or for certain patient circumstances. Authority may be obtained by telephone to Medicare Australia (known as "phone approval") or in writing from an authorised delegate of the Minister for Health.
Prescriptions must be written on an Authority Prescription Form, and the approval number must be noted on the prescription. Pharmacists cannot dispense the item as a pharmaceutical benefit unless it has been approved by Medicare Australia (indicated by the presence of the approval number).
Some drugs may have Authority Required (Streamlined) status which does not require an explicit approval from Medicare, instead the doctor can use the Authority code found in the published Schedule for a given drug/indication.
But still pharmacists cannot dispense the item as a pharmaceutical benefit unless it has the necessary Authority code.

PHARMACIST ONLY MEDICINE

This product is a Pharmacist Only Medicine and requires pharmacist advice before we can dispatch this product. You must first place the order and then contact our pharmacists within 48 hours on 1300 367 283.
The pharmacist will determine if this product is appropriate for you and if so, approve the order. In the event that you do not do this, the product will be deleted from your order and the balance of your order will be dispatched.
This is not required if you have a doctor's prescription.

S8 NOTE

This prescription item is Schedule 8 and can only be supplied on a script from a registered doctor in Queensland.
Any prescriptions from any other state cannot be filled and will be returned in the mail.

S8 Note - This prescription item is Schedule 8 and can only be supplied on a script from a registered doctor in Queensland. Any prescriptions from any other state cannot be filled and will be returned in the mail

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PLEASE READ THE CONDITIONS BELOW AND CHECK THE BOX TO ENABLE PURCHASE OF THIS PRODUCT.

Pharmacist Only Medicine

This product is a Pharmacist Only Medicine and requires pharmacist advice before we can dispatch this product. You must first place the order and then contact our pharmacists within 48 hours on 1300 367 283. The pharmacist will determine if this product is appropriate for you and if so, approve the order. In the event that you do not do this, the product will be deleted from your order and the balance of your order will be dispatched. This is not required if you have a doctor's prescription.
I agree with the terms and conditions of ordering this product

Information

General Information

Consumer Medicine Information

What is in this leaflet

This leaflet answers some common questions about AVANZA SolTab. It does not contain all the available information.

It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist.

All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking AVANZA SolTab against the benefits they expect it will have for you.

If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist.

Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You may need to read it again.

What AVANZA SolTab is used for

AVANZA SolTab is used in the treatment of depression including relapse prevention.

Depression is longer lasting or more severe than "low moods" everyone has from time to time due to the stress of everyday life. It is thought to be caused by a chemical imbalance in parts of the brain. This affects your whole body and can cause emotional and physical symptoms such as feeling low in spirit, loss of interest in activities, unable to enjoy life, poor appetite or overeating, disturbed sleep, often waking up early, loss of sex drive, lack of energy and feeling guilty over nothing.

This medicine corrects this chemical imbalance and may help relieve the symptoms of depression.

Your doctor, however, may prescribe it for another purpose.

Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why it has been prescribed for you.

This medicine is only available with a doctor's prescription.

AVANZA SolTab is not addictive.

Before you take Avanza SolTab

When you must not take it

Do not take AVANZA SolTab :if you are allergic to medicines containing mirtazapine if you are allergic to any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.

Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips, mouth, throat or other parts of the body, shortness of breath, wheezing or trouble breathing.

Do not take AVANZA SolTab if you are taking another medicine for depression called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) or have been taking an MAOI within the last 14 days. Taking AVANZA SolTab with an MAOI may cause a serious reaction with a sudden increase in body temperature, extremely high blood pressure and severe convulsions.

Examples of this type of medicine include phenelzine, tranylcypromine and selegiline.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist if you are not sure if you are or if you have been taking a MAOI medicine.

Do not take AVANZA SolTab if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering.

Do not take AVANZA SolTab if the expiry date printed on the pack has passed.

If you are not sure whether you should start taking AVANZA SolTab, talk to your doctor.

Before you start to take it

Do not give AVANZA SolTab to a child or adolescent. The safety of AVANZA SolTab in patients under 18 years has not been established.

Tell your doctor if:1. you are allergic to any other medicines, foods, dyes or preservatives 2. you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. Like most medicines of this kind, AVANZA SolTab is not recommended to be used during pregnancy. Your doctor will discuss the risks and benefits of taking AVANZA SolTab when pregnant. 3. you are breastfeeding or wish to breastfeed. It is not known whether AVANZA SolTab passes into breast milk. 4. if you have or have had any medical conditions, especially the following:thoughts of suicide or self harm epilepsy (fits or convulsions) liver disease such as jaundice kidney disease heart disease low blood pressure any mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia, manic depression) diabetes glaucoma (increased pressure in the eye) problems in urinating due to an enlarged prostate unexplainable high fever, sore throat and mouth ulcers fructose intolerance glucose-galactose malabsorption sucrose-isomaltase insufficiency phenylketonuria

If you have not told your doctor about any of the above, tell them before you take AVANZA SolTab.

Taking other medicines

Tell your doctor if you are taking any other medicines, including medicines you buy without a prescription from a pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop. Some medicines may be affected by AVANZA SolTab or may affect how well it works. These include:other medicines (eg. SSRIs, venlafaxine) for depression, anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorders or pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors (such as tranylcypromine, phenelzine, and selegiline) medicines containing St. John's Wort (hypericum perforatum) phenytoin or carbamazepine, medicines used to treat epilepsy benzodiazepines, medicines used to treat anxiety and sleeping problems warfarin, a medicine used to prevent blood clotting. erythromycin, an antibiotic rifampicin, a medicine used to treat tuberculosis medicines used to treat fungal infections such as ketoconazole HIV/AIDS medications cimetidine, a medicine used to treat reflux and stomach ulcers triptans such as sumitriptan, naratriptan and zolmitriptan, medicines used to treat migraine

Your doctor will tell you what to do if you are taking any of these medicines.

Your doctor and pharmacist may have more information on medicines to be careful with or avoid while taking AVANZA SolTab

If you are not sure whether you are taking any of these medicines, check with your doctor or pharmacist.

How to take Avanza SolTab

Follow all directions given to you by your doctor and pharmacist. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet.

How much to take

Your doctor will tell you how much AVANZA SolTab to take each day. Take exactly the amount your doctor tells you. The usual starting dose is 15mg per day. Your doctor may slowly increase this dose depending on how you respond to AVANZA SolTab. The effective dose for most people is usually between 30mg and 45mg per day.

Your doctor may have prescribed a different dose.

If you do not understand the instructions on the box, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.

When to take it

Take AVANZA SolTab at about the same time each day. Your doctor will tell you when to take your tablets.

The tablet(s) should be taken at the same time each day, preferably as a single night-time dose before going to bed; if recommended by your doctor, AVANZA SolTab may be taken in sub-doses equally divided over the day (once in the morning and once at night-time before going to bed).

How to take it

AVANZA SolTab can be taken with or without water.

Please read the following instructions carefully.

To prevent crushing the tablet, do not push against the tablet pocket.

Each blister contains six tablet pockets, which are separated by perforations (dotted lines). Bend the strip several times along the dotted lines, then tear off one tablet pocket. Carefully peal off the lidding foil, starting in the corner indicated by the arrow. (Figures 2 and 3) Fig. 2 Fig. 3 Take out the tablet with dry hands and place it on the tongue (Figure 4). The tablet will rapidly disintegrate and can be swallowed with or without water. Fig. 4 Take the tablet immediately after it is removed from the tablet pocket. Once removed it cannot be stored.

How long to take it

Keep taking AVANZA SolTab until your doctor tells you to stop.

For depression, the length of treatment will depend on how quickly your symptoms improve. Most antidepressants take time to work, so do not be discouraged if you don't feel better right away. Some of your symptoms may improve in 1 to 2 weeks but it can take up to 2 - 4 weeks to feel the full benefit of the medicine.

Even when you feel well, you will usually have to take AVANZA SolTab for 4 to 6 months or even longer to make sure the benefits will last.

If you forget to take it

ONCE DAILY DOSING

If you forget to take the tablet before you go to bed, do not take the missed dose next morning. It may cause drowsiness or sleepiness during the day. Continue treatment in the evening with your normal dose.

TWICE DAILY DOSINGMorning dose forgotten - simply take it together with your evening dose. Evening dose forgotten - do not take it with the next morning dose. Continue treatment with your normal morning and evening doses. Both doses forgotten - do not try to make up for the missed tablets. Continue with your usual morning and evening dose the next day.

If you have trouble remembering to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints.

If you take too much (overdose)

Immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone 13Â 11Â 6) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital if you think you or anyone else may have taken too much AVANZA SolTab. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.

You may need urgent medical attention.

If you take too many Avanza SolTab tablets, you may feel drowsy, dizzy, confused, agitated, have increased heart rate or loose consciousness.

While you are taking Avanza SolTab

Things you must do

Tell your doctor immediately if you develop fever, chills, sore throat or mouth ulcers or other signs of frequent infections. In rare cases AVANZA SolTab can cause a shortage of white blood cells, resulting in lowering body resistance to infection. These symptoms may appear after 2 - 6 weeks of treatment.

Tell your doctor immediately or go to the nearest hospital for treatment if you have any suicidal thoughts or other mental/mood changes. Occasionally, the symptoms of depression or other psychiatric conditions may include thoughts of harming yourself or committing suicide. Until the full antidepressant effect of your medicine becomes apparent, it is possible these symptoms may increase in the first few weeks of treatment.

If you or someone you know is showing warning signs of suicide-related behaviour while taking AVANZA SolTab, contact your doctor or a mental health professional right away or go to the nearest hospital for treatment. These signs include:thoughts or talk about death or suicide thoughts or talk of self-harm or harm to others any recent attempts of self harm increase in aggressive behaviour, irritability or agitation.

All mentions of suicide or violence must be taken seriously.

Tell your doctor if you become pregnant while taking this medicine. Do not stop taking your tablets until you have spoken to your doctor.

Tell your doctor if for any reason you have not taken your medicine exactly as prescribed. Otherwise your doctor may think that it was not effective and change your treatment unnecessarily.

Tell your doctor if you feel the tablets are not helping your condition.

Be sure to keep all of your appointments with your doctor so that your progress can be checked. You may need to have blood tests from time to time.

Before starting any new medicine, tell your doctor or pharmacist that you are taking AVANZA SolTab.

Tell all doctors, dentists and pharmacists who are treating you that you are taking AVANZA SolTab.

Things you must not do

Do not drive or operate machinery until you know how AVANZA SolTab affects you. AVANZA SolTab may cause drowsiness, dizziness or sleepiness in some people and affect alertness and concentration. If any of these occur, do not drive, operate machinery or do anything else that could be dangerous.

Do not suddenly stop taking AVANZA SolTab, or lower the dose, without first checking with your doctor.

Do not let yourself run out of medicine over the weekend or on holidays.

Your doctor may want to gradually reduce the amount of AVANZA SolTab you are taking before stopping completely.

Do not use AVANZA SolTab to treat any other conditions unless your doctor tells you to.

Do not give this medicine to anyone else, even if their symptoms seem similar to yours or if they have the same condition as you.

Things to be careful of

Be careful when drinking alcohol while taking AVANZA SolTab. Combining AVANZA SolTab and alcohol can make you more sleepy and less alert. Your doctor may suggest you avoid alcohol while being treated with this medicine.

Side effects

Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking AVANZA SolTab. AVANZA SolTab helps most people with depression, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.

Ask your doctor or pharmacist any questions you may have.

Do not be alarmed by this list of possible side effects. You may not experience any of them.

Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following and they bother you:drowsiness or sleepiness headache tiredness increase in appetite and weight gain dry mouth diarrhoea occasional dizziness or faintness, especially when getting up quickly from a lying or sitting position swollen ankles or feet as a result of fluid accumulation (oedema) rash nightmares/vivid dreams tingling fingers or toes painful joints muscle aches and pains restless legs anxiety* insomnia*

Miscellaneous

Drug Interactions

Warnings

Common Uses

Ingredients

Directions

Indications

Alternative Product(s)

There is an alternative brand to choose from in the table below. Alternative brands works in the same way as the existing medicine. Please select the desired brand.*
*Some Doctor's will have "no substitution permitted" endorsed on the script. Please check your prescription as alternative brands are not available in this case.

*Please note that not all products available online are available in the stores.
In addition, some stores may have slightly different prices on selected lines.
*All Online Orders for www.chemistwarehouse.com.au are picked packed and fulfilled by Chemist Warehouse sister company ePharmacy Pty Ltd.
*All crossed through prices on Chemist Warehouse Online are Recommended Retail Prices (RRP).
All prices quoted on the Website or pursuant to your enquiry with us are in Australian Dollars (AUD).
These are shown to give you an indication of the saving you will make compared
to buying from a standard retail pharmacy.
These prices have been obtained through regular price matching and are actual prices
from retail stores. We cannot show SRP prices for all products due to database restrictions
and the fact that some of our products cannot be purchased in retail pharmacies. Actual product or product packaging delivered
may vary slightly from product image shown.
*Your pharmacist will advise you whether the preparation is suitable for your condition. *Always read the label. Use only as directed. If symptoms persist, see your Healthcare Professional. Vitamins may only be of assistance if your dietary intake is inadequate.